Tottenham Hotspur hailed as ‘a force to be reckoned with’ as Champions League draw is made

Spurs learnt of their group stage fate on Thursday evening.
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Tottenham Hotspur legend Gary Mabbutt believes Antonio Conte’s side will be ‘a force to be reckoned with’ after they learnt of their Champions League fate.

Spurs were placed in an intriguing Group D when the draw was conducted in Istanbul on Thursday evening as they return to European football’s premier competition for the first time since 2020.

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Spurs will face Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt, Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon and Ligue 1 side Marseille as they look to secure progression into the first knockout round.

Logistically, the draw works in the favour of Conte and his players as they have avoided a number of long haul trips.

But they will face three sides that will provide them with awkward challenges when their group stage campaign gets underway in two weeks time.

Mabbutt is relishing the return to the Champions League as his club prepare to take on ‘the elite of Europe’.

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He told BT Sport: “To be honest, it’s been a fantastic couple of days because we come here to see all of the elite teams in Europe. It’s a fantastic event that gets put on.

“It’s great for us because you get to meet your ex-colleagues and ex-opponents when all of the clubs come here.

“We got Frankfurt, Marseille and Sporting Lisbon, some very tough games, but I think everyone knows each other so well in European football.

“We’ve got a team that I believe can be a force to be reckoned with this season, so it’s a fantastic occasion, we are delighted with what has taken place here over the last couple of days.

“We know who we are playing, when we are playing them, and it’s always going to be tough playing the elite of Europe.”

Matchday one will take place on the week of Tuesday 6th September.